Dana White backs Bella Mir’s UFC, Olympics and boxing ambitions

Dana White has been closely involved in Bella Mir's development for years.

The daughter of former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Frank Mir is set to compete on Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. White recently addressed her career progression and aspirations.

Dana White hypes up ‘special’ Bella Mir ahead of her DWCS bout
Bella (4-0) will fight for a UFC contract on DWCS on Aug. 25, against Alex Apodaca (3-1), with the two bantamweights set to headline the card. White was recently asked about the former and had nothing but praise, revealing that he’s been closely monitoring her career for four years.

“Yeah, I'm very excited about Bella,” White said at the DWCS 2026 Week 1 post-fight press conference. “I've been very involved in her life the last four years.”

Bella has previously revealed that she hopes to become the first UFC fighter to compete in the Olympics while also pursuing championships across multiple combat sports. White confirmed that the unbeaten 23-year-old has expressed an interest in competing at the 2028 Olympics while also targeting titles in the UFC, UFC BJJ and Zuffa Boxing.

“Yeah, we've talked about it,” White added. “I mean, she presented that to me.”

The UFC CEO then revealed that he encouraged the young prospect to attend college rather than immediately turning professional after high school, a decision that ultimately helped shape her wrestling career.

“That was the goal, too, in college,” White said. “Not just for her to get an education but to break some college records. She would enter these jiu-jitsu competitions and win them. You know, while she was only wrestling, not even doing jiu-jitsu. So, she's special."